


Season 3

by softball45



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Heavy Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-13 15:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2155938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softball45/pseuds/softball45
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This basically my prediction for what is going to play out in season 3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Asking Her Out

**Author's Note:**

> So here are my ideas of how Oliver's and Felicity's relationship is going to evolve through this upcoming season. Let me know what you think.

For months he’s wanted to ask her out. Ever since they stopped Slade, he knew the city was safe and now it might’ve been possible for them to be together. There was a chance for him to have a regular life, with her. Whenever he saw her walk down those metal stairs her heels clicking at each step his heart pounded. First thing he wanted to do every time she entered the foundry was to run up to her and ask. But no, he had to wait until the right moment. If he was going to do this with her he had to do it right or not at all, and he really wanted to do it.

That’s why when finally the right day approached he almost got cold feet and didn’t ask. Oliver Queen being nervous was absurd, he rarely knew what it felt like to be nervous and over asking out someone was even crazier. That’s what most people knew Oliver for. One thing that Oliver knew was women, for some reason this woman seemed to stump him. When he was around her his hands got sweaty and his mouth got dry.

He had to do it know though, there was no more waiting because if he did it might be too late for him. When he approached her she was smiling up at him already, even before he started to talk. “Um, Felicity I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me?” When he finally got the words out he suddenly felt more nervous than before he spoke. It seemed as if her answer took forever, almost a lifetime had pasted before Felicity spoke.

“Yes.” That was it just a simple yes. Oliver expected more of a long ramble for a response but the yes was good enough for him.

“So Friday at 7? There’s an Italian place that I think would be nice. No crime fighting, just you and me.” 

Oliver felt confident when he went on patrol that night. He had a new confidence that made him feel like he could take anyone on that he wanted to. Through the whole night he couldn’t stop smiling either. Friday was only two days away and he could not wait. This date had to be absolutely perfect.

At 5:30 on Friday Oliver was already ready. He was left pacing around his room waiting to go pick up Felicity. There was a soft knock on the door. “Thea, I didn’t expect you to be home.”

“Well considering it’s also my house I think I have a right to be here. So who is the lucky girl tonight?” Thea nodded towards his attire. Oliver was wearing a gray suit and tie one that took him forever to put on because of his shaky hands.

“Felicity Smoak.” Oliver loved saying her name, the way it rolled off of his tongue it was… he didn’t know how describe it- it just felt right.

“Well she’s one lucky lady to be going out with Oliver Queen, billionaire.” Oliver shook his head.

“She could give a rats ass if I were a billionaire or not, I’m the lucky one here.” There was a smile spread across his face.

“Wow so is she… is she it for you? No more Laurel, no Sara?” 

Oliver chuckled under his breath and his smile widened, “Yeah when you put it like that I guess she is. I really like her I just hope she likes me.”

“Of course she will, I wouldn’t let my brother go out there and not be likeable it hurts me that you would say that. Just don’t be a douche towards her.” Oliver pulled his sister into a hug.

“Thanks for that great advice Speedy, I could’ve used that years ago.”

Finally it was time to pick up Felicity. When Oliver told Diggle that he needed him to pick him and Felicity up there was a sly smile spread across Digg’s face. Without hesitation Digg agreed.

The drive to her apartment was a blur all Oliver could remember was Digg telling him that he had to get out of then car to actually go out with her.

A soft knock at the door was all it took. Felicity emerged from the apartment looking absolutely stunning, for a few seconds Oliver had the wind knocked out of him, he couldn’t breathe or speak. She was wearing a fuchsia dress that matched the vibrant lipstick she wore every day. “Wow… you look… gorgeous.” Oliver could see that Felicity was beginning to blush.

Gorgeous wasn’t even beginning to describe what Felicity looked like; Oliver didn’t have a big enough vocabulary to say what he wanted to. Her normal blonde ponytail was gone instead her hair was down. Oliver had never noticed how wavy her hair was it seemed as if every piece of blonde hair flowed down her head in waves.

As he walked her to the car Oliver still couldn’t piece enough words together to form a sentence. He marveled at the confidence she carried with her as she walked. The Felicity he first met was awkward, she babbled, she embarrassed herself at every turn but she had so much confidence about what she could do and almost three years later she still carried that confidence with her wherever she went.

The whole ride to the restaurant was filled with Oliver staring at Felicity trying to engrave this memory of her into his brain. He had never seen a woman who was like Felicity Smoak ever again. In that car ride Oliver realized that the love of his life was sitting next to him and he could never be happier than to share his wild and crazy life with her.

Diggle dropped them off at a new Italian restaurant that had emerged near QC that Felicity had been talking about for weeks. “You actually got us into this place? It’s been booked for months.”

“I can’t believe you doubted my abilities.” Oliver joked. He could feel his had shaking as he pushed her chair in. He had never felt more nervous in his life. 

Conversation flowed easily. Both Oliver and Felicity were opening up about their pasts. Oliver learned that Felicity never had a normal childhood, her mom was never there for her and yet she still somehow maintained her grades. Oliver opened up for the first time about is time on Lian Yu when no lives were at risk. Felicity clung to every word that he had said. Oliver felt as if he were talking to the only person who understood what he had been through, the only person who was there for him was sitting in front of him.

The date was going perfectly, more than Oliver could’ve ever imagined. Midway through the waiter came by their table, “Mr. Queen there is a call for you at the front desk.” Without thinking about it Oliver got up and went to take the call. He assumed it was Thea wondering how it was going.

“Who would’ve thought that the Arrow could have a crush on a normal person? You know you shouldn’t bring sweet blonde girls into your dangerous life Mr. Queen but it looks like you already have. I hope she blows you away.” The voice on the other end hung up.

It took Oliver a minute to figure out what had just happened. Instinctively he yelled out when he figured out what was about to happen, “Felicity!” All he saw was a smile on her face before the bomb went off.


	2. The Bomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The after math of their first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think.

It was a quiet night at the foundry. After Digg dropped Felicity and Oliver off for their date he figured he could get a good workout in before they needed him to pick them up. Diggle still couldn’t believe that Oliver actually had the balls to ask Felicity out. For the two years that he has known both of them he knew from the beginning that Felicity would change Oliver.

It wasn’t until Isabel Rochev showed up that Digg noticed how much sexual tension there was between the two. He was just glad that they found each other eventually even if that meant he had to see them dancing around the subject.

Digg heard the door slam shut; his head whipped around he wasn’t expecting anyone to be there, Roy was out with Thea, no one had seen Sara in a few months, and Oliver and Felicity were on a date.

He saw Oliver bounding down the metal steps with Felicity in his arms. A knot was now wrenched in the pit of his stomach. Diggle prayed that his eye’s were deceiving him, but they weren’t. That was a lifeless Felicity dangling from Oliver’s arms.

On instinct Digg cleared the med table and grabbed all of the medical supplies they had in the foundry. Without a word Oliver laid Felicity down on the table as carefully as possible. She was covered in smoke and blood. Digg’s stomach sunk even further down if that was possible.

Oliver attached the various machines to monitor her vitals. Digg wasn’t sure how he knew where to attach everything but he decided not to ask at this moment. The monitor came to life; well it mostly just lit up. Silence filled the foundry. Not a single beep was heard.

Oliver jumped into action. He started CPR without hesitation, alternating between compressions and breaths. For the next five minutes Digg couldn’t breathe. He watched as Felicity lay on the table not breathing at all. For the first time in what had seemed forever Digg closed his eyes and prayed. He usually didn’t believe in that crap but he was desperate. All he wanted was for Felicity to live; he couldn’t see Oliver broken again. He had endured too much pain already he didn’t deserve this.

A small beep echoed through the room; Digg’s eyes flew open. He grabbed the oxygen mask that he had ready and slipped it over Felicity’s mouth. As time went on the beep grew louder and bigger, she was going to live.

It took both men a minute to recover from what happened, Diggle was sure that any moment his heart was going to burst out of his chest. “Oliver man what happened out there?” Oliver looked just like Felicity, he was covered head to toe in smoke and blood but he assumed the blood was Felicity’s.

“I happened! Because she was with me she could’ve died, I have to get the bastard who did this to her!” Digg could see that as always Oliver was blaming himself. Before Digg had a chance to talk to him Oliver had grabbed his bow and suit and left.

Over the next hour Digg paced. He waited for Felicity to wake up and he waited for Oliver to return. Finally he came back he was covered in more blood now and Digg new it was the poor bastard who interrupted their dinner. “Oliver, I’m going to ask again, what happened?”

“There… there was a bomb at the restaurant.” Digg could see this was hard for Oliver to talk about. “The date had been going fine and then I got a call. The next thing I new was that the building was a pile of rubble.”

“What happened to the guy?” Digg wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear what Oliver had done.

“I killed him. He deserved to die!” Digg took a deep breath.

“She’s going to be fine Oliver; just give her time.” With a pat on the back Digg left for the night.

******

The only thing Oliver could do was stand over her body. His arms were numb and his body ached but he needed to make sure that she would be safe. “I’m sorry that this happened,” he cried out. “All I ever wanted to do was keep you safe, that was my only goal and I have failed you. But please just wake up and I’ll never hurt you again.” This wasn’t how he planned their date would go. He wanted everything to go perfectly but it didn’t. “I can’t lose you. Before everything turned to shit I realized something, I love you so please I will do anything so long as you wake up because I don’t want to live in a world without you.


	3. Not For Me

He killed for her again. The last was the Count in a way that was more justified than because he had her and was going to hurt her. The Count didn’t seem to want to go away. Oliver had let that man live twice and he still had managed to come back and bite them in the ass. The city needed to be rid of Count Vertigo once and for all. 

The second time he killed for her wasn’t as justified. Oliver hunted down the man that had injured her. She wasn’t injured seriously it was only a few bruises, maybe a new scar or two and one nasty headache but nothing that aspirin wouldn’t fix.

The second time Felicity realized that Oliver would always kill for her. There would always be no choice to make when her life was on the line. She appreciated the fact that Oliver was willing to sacrifice everything for her but she couldn’t watch him undo everything that he had worked for especially when she told him that there was another way than killing. Oliver had found another way to save the city he was now a hero.

“Oliver, we can’t do this. You can’t kill for me.” Felicity wanted more than anything for Oliver to be hers but she also wanted him to be the hero that he was and he couldn’t do that when he was with her. “You’ve worked so hard to get where you are now. I can’t take that away from you.” Felicity couldn’t look at him. She knew that when she would look up she would regret everything. 

“Hey.” Oliver gently grabbed her arm and spun her around to look at him. “Felicity, you don’t have to do this. I… we…” 

“You won’t kill for me Oliver? I know that you will always choose me over someone else. But you’re a hero now and heroes don’t have a body count. This city finally realized what I knew from the beginning. Please Oliver it’s for the best. But right now we can’t do this. Maybe one day we can. One day when this is all over. Sadly that day isn’t today. I’m sorry.”

Felicity left Oliver standing alone in the foundry. She wanted to stay with him all day and night but that would only make it harder for her to push him away. It was for the best, she kept telling herself that but they had been dancing around each other for the past two years. That’s two years of ignoring her feelings, two years of watching Oliver with other women and now once she finally had him. She pushed him away.

It didn’t seem fair. Then again nothing in life was fair. She cared about Oliver; he meant the world to her that’s why she had to end it. She couldn’t watch him struggle between being the man the city needs and being the man that she needs.


	4. At Least She's Happy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think!

It seemed too quick.  Only a month after Felicity told Oliver that she couldn’t be with him she was with someone else, Ray Palmer.  Apparently Oliver could only win one thing from Ray and that was his company, which was all in thanks to Felicity.

 

Oliver didn’t know how she had already moved on. He started to think that Felicity never actually liked him.  He still wasn’t over the fact that she had ended it before it had even started. Oliver knew that he couldn’t stop her from saying what she said, Felicity had a valid argument she would always come first.  No matter what, he would kill someone if it meant that he would get to spend another day with her because a day without her is a day he didn’t want to live.

 

But now she was with Ray.  Everyday he would come by the office and either bring her lunch or take her out.  Oliver wasn’t sure that Ray even worked nowadays.  It seemed as if Ray was always at QC, Oliver wouldn’t get any work done either. All he would do is watch every move Felicity made.  The way she would smile at him, the way she would look at him, the way she would babble. He watched everything.

 

Oliver on many occasions almost told Ray to leave in his Arrow voice but he couldn’t.  Felicity would know that something was up with him and he didn’t want her to find out that he still hadn’t moved on from her.  For her it was so easy.  One minute she was with him and then another she was with Ray. Felicity was the only girl for him but he clearly wasn’t the only man for her.

 

At night Oliver would sit up and think about what he could have done different, was there something that he could have said that would have made her stay?  No, there wasn’t.  It wasn’t his choice to make.  She was the one who decided and he had to respect that.

 

At least she was happy with Ray. He could give her everything that Oliver couldn’t.  Ray was ready for Felicity when Oliver wasn’t, now all he could was watch them. Oliver felt a hole in his chest when he would watch them together.  He always imagined that it would be him sitting on the floor with her eating Chinese. Oliver wished that it were his shoulder that she would sleep on.  The hole that he felt would only grow bigger as their relationship progressed. This weekend Ray and Felicity went away for a getaway and only Diggle and him were left in the foundry. Needless to say not much Arrow work had gotten done.  All he could focus on was what she and Ray were doing.

 

“Oliver what’s going on with you?” For the third time in a row Digg was able to get the upper hand on him and Oliver was going to be left with a few bruises scattered across his chest.

 

“I’m fine Digg let’s continue.” Oliver tried to get rid of the thoughts that were bombarding his mind.

 

“I know you man, and I know that look you have on your face.”  Digg gave Oliver a look that showed that Digg knew what was going through his mind. “You won’t admit it so I will,” Digg sighed, “Seeing them together makes you jealous.  Every time he comes to the office or the club your expression changes and you position yourself where it’s harder for you to see them together.”

 

Oliver was trying to ignore what Digg was saying. Instead he sat on the med table and put ice on all the places where Digg had hit him, which left him with ice covering his whole body.

 

“You’re still not over her.  And you never will.  That’s love.  Right now she’s with Ray.” Oliver clenched his jaw, “If you truly love her you’ll be happy for her because she deserves to be happy as much as you do, if not more.”  Digg was right. The only time he looked at them was when she would smile because that smile lit up his world. It reminded him that she _was_ happy, and that’s all that mattered.

 

When he walked into the office on Monday Felicity was already there waiting for him.  Just like always she already had everything set up for him ready to go. _His_ Felicity was back.  From what he could see it seemed as if the weekend getaway was a success. At the thought of that Oliver didn’t know what to feel.  He was happy that she had a good time and was able to get away from the stress that their job required but he was also disappointed.  It proved that Ray was a good man for Felicity even better than Oliver may be. Oliver didn’t deserve Felicity; there was a reason that she had pushed him away.

 

There wasn’t anything he could say about it. She hadn’t done anything wrong, it was his fault he reacted the way he did after the date gone wrong. Seeing her on the med table barely having a heart beat scared the shit out of hi, it also made him so angry. It was his job to protect her on that date and he had failed her.  So he had to seek revenge on the person who did this to her, and that’s exactly what he had to do.  He went out there and killed the man who put her on that med table.  He thought that he had made things better but that just made it worse.

 

Oliver was a different man around her. He could open up and actually be himself with Felicity.  There was also a side that scared him; he would do anything for her.  When she would be in danger the same man who was on Lian Yu came out and that terrified him.  For the first time since those years on the island Oliver didn’t know what to do, but whatever it was would be for Felicity.  If she hadn’t pushed him away he would’ve pushed her. 

 

The words she said to him on the night of Slade’s attack always stayed in his mind, _you are not done fighting_ , he would always fight for her he just had to make sure he was ready.


	5. The Arrow Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!

You could hear her heels before her voice when she entered the foundry, “Oliver what the hell!”  Felicity marched down the stairs and was now face to face only inches away from Oliver.  Digg was about to leave for the night but he had to stay and watch this unfold. “You attacked my boyfriend! You went all whack job crazy on him! You can’t just run around scaring the living shit out of people!”  Over the past few months the sexual tension between both Oliver and Felicity had been building since their date gone wrong.

 

It seemed as if Oliver was trying to avoid Felicity’s wrath.  No matter how hard he tried there was no way that he would be getting away with whatever he did. “You visited Ray tonight didn’t you? Not as my boss concerned for my well-being but as the Arrow.  Ray called me and was pretty shaken up he said that the Arrow had visited him!” Oliver started to walk away from Felicity.  “You don’t want to leave yet, here’s where the story gets good.  He said that the Arrow threatened him.  Ray said that if he stepped a centimeter out of line he would have an arrow through his eye!”

 

Diggle let a snicker escape his throat, which was the wrong move because it earned him a death glare from Felicity. “Would you like to explain why you threatened my boyfriend?”  Both Felicity’s and Oliver’s faces were red.  Felicity’s because she was beyond angry and Oliver’s because he was embarrassed about getting caught.

 

“I had my reasons as to visit him.” That was Oliver for you, never giving straight answers.  Surprisingly his voice was calm.  Normally he would yell saying that there was a reason to visit Ray that she wouldn’t understand.

 

“Fine then don’t tell me, I quit! If what we do is going around town scaring the shit out of normal, innocent people then I don’t want any part of this!  I thought we were actually doing good but I was wrong.”  Felicity turned her back.

 

“Wait,” Felicity stopped dead in her tracks. When she turned around her eyes were filled with anger.  “I… I just wanted to make sure he was taking care of you.  You deserve someone who treats you how you like the beautiful woman you are. I… wanted you to be safe.” Digg could hear the struggle that Oliver was having with himself, admitting what he felt.

 

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed Oliver, but I can take care of myself!”  Felicity was still raging with anger.  She was storming around the foundry, her arms and mouth flailing everywhere. “I’ve gone undercover with more dangerous people before and I’ve never gotten hurt!  The only time I’ve ended up on that med table has been because I was with _you_!” The room went silent.

 

Felicity immediately regretted her words, “I didn’t mean it that way Oliver.”  But he didn’t give her a chance to apologize.

 

“No you’re right.  The only time you’ve been injured has been because of me. It’s _my_ fault that you ended up there and I haven’t been able to forgive myself since that day.”  Digg couldn’t believe what was taking place before him.  He should probably do something to stop them but he had to see this play out. “What I did after that date wasn’t right, I killed a man.  But it was worth it. I would do it a hundred times over as long as it meant _you_ were safe because seeing you almost die… it killed me.  I didn’t know what to do without you there so I resorted to what I did before _you_ saved me.

 

“Oliver,” Felicity tried to interject but for the first time she couldn’t get a word in.

 

“You deserve to be happy, way more than I do but I can’t be happy without you.”  Digg wasn’t sure that his friends knew that he was still there.  This type of conversation didn’t take place in front of a third party.

 

He could see that a weight had been lifted off of Oliver’s chest.  The way that he stood was different than how he had before.  Oliver’s stance was more open and welcoming.

 

“You can’t ask me to choose.” Felicity was looking everywhere except at Oliver. For a second Digg caught Felicity’s eyes and could see that she was confused on what to do.  “I _love_ Ray. I’m sorry.”

 

Digg thought that Oliver was going to flip out but he did the opposite, “You don’t have to be sorry for your feelings. I can see the way you look at him, I just hope he knows how good you are.”  Oliver walked out of the foundry before anything else could be said.

 

Digg wasn’t sure what he just witnessed. For the past year and a half Digg had noticed the sexual tension between his two friends and had been waiting for them to act on it but he didn’t think it would pan out quite like this. “What just happened between you two?”

 

Felicity didn’t answer his question nor would she ever. Digg couldn’t believe his friends were still ignoring what was going on between them.  One day they would figure it out.

 

 


	6. Letting Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always let me know what you guys think!

“I see the way you look at him.” Ray had been noticing these things since Oliver and Felicity met him to talk about how he was competing for the company.  The way that they stood next to each other, so natural, relaxed.  The only other time he had seen people act like that was at his sister’s wedding.

 

“Who do I look at?”  Ray couldn’t believe the stunt she was pulling here. Felicity was the smartest person he knew, avoiding this question wasn’t going to be an option.

 

“Oliver.  I know it’s stupid but I feel that whenever we’re together your head’s in a different place.  It feels like I’m not your primary focus when we’re out.”  Ray felt a pang of embarrassment rise in his body.  He realized that he was sounding like a jealous girlfriend.

 

Felicity leaned across the table and kissed him. “I love you, you know that.” For a second Ray actually believed her words; they weren’t true, at least not for him.

 

Everything seemed normal with their relationship but then it happened again.  They were out on a date when suddenly Felicity got a call,  “It’s Oliver, I better take this.”  She was allowed to take a call there wasn’t a problem with that. Ray understood that Felicity had other friends who she would talk to; he couldn’t hold her back from her life. But when she said it was from Oliver his stomach sunk.

 

More than likely she would have to suddenly leave in the middle of the date because Oliver needed her urgently, she would apologize and told him that she would make it up to him and Ray would say it’s fine but every time she walked out it hurt him more and more each time. They say if you love something let it go and if it loves you it will return but Ray couldn’t do that. He knew that she didn’t love him the way he loved her; her heart was in a different place.  But he didn’t want to lose her because she was the one thing tying him Starling City.  It felt that without her he had nothing.

 

After a few minutes on the phone Felicity returned to the table, Ray was prepared for the worst and he got it, “I’m so sorry, work I have to go.”  Before Ray could get a word out she was gone.  Again Ray was left waiting at the table, alone.  Oliver didn’t know how lucky of a man to have Felicity at his beck and call.

 

Ray walked home alone just like most of their other dates. It never seemed as if he got a night alone with his girlfriend.  Once he entered their apartment he changed into sweats and grabbed a beer from the fridge.

 

He heard the door open and jumped to his feet to greet Felicity.  It was midnight; she was always out late, every night he would be in bed when she came home. “Felicity, can we please talk?” Felicity’s once tired eyes were now wide open.  Ray couldn’t believe what he was about to do.  “I can’t keep doing this.  Every night you’re out late, you always leave me on dates.  I love you but it’s not fair for me to wait around when your heart is clearly in a different place.”

 

“Ray,” Felicity tried to protest but he knew she couldn’t.

 

Ray nodded his head; he understood that he wasn’t the one for her.  He didn’t want to wasted his time when in the end she would never choose him. “I hope he finally pulls his head out of his ass and realizes how great you are.  I love you Felicity Smoak.”  Without saying another word Ray grabbed what little stuff he had and left. He didn’t know where he was going he just knew he couldn’t watch the way that she would look at a man that wasn’t him.

 

Felicity couldn’t believe what just happened, it seemed too surreal.  Ray was gone, she was left all alone in their apartment, her apartment.  She couldn’t stand being there all alone. Felicity drove to the foundry, at least there she could get some work done.

 

The foundry was dark; everyone had left for the night. Felicity was too tired to get any work done; she didn’t know why she went there in the first place it felt more of a home to her than her actual apartment at that point.

 

Felicity tried to fall asleep but there were too many thoughts going through her head at that moment; she couldn’t process everything.  All she could do was sit on the couch they recently installed and think.  Where did everything go wrong?  One moment she had a boyfriend who she loved more than anything and the next she was sitting in a basement not knowing what to do with herself.

 

“Felicity?  What are you doing here?”  She hadn’t heard Oliver come down the stairs but for the past few hours she was in a world of her own.

 

“I’m thinking.  What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”  She knew that often Oliver would come down here when he couldn’t sleep.

 

“The middle of the night?”  He gave her a questioning look.  “It’s 1:00pm.”

 

“Like one in the afternoon?  No that’s not possible, I arrived at midnight it’s only been a few hours.”  This wasn’t making any sense.  Felicity could’ve sworn that she had arrived only a few hours ago.

 

“You’ve been here all day?  What happened last night?  You look…” Oliver looked like he didn’t know how, or want to finish his sentence.

 

“Like shit?”  Her brain was still trying to comprehend the news Oliver had told her.

 

Oliver sat down next to Felicity on the couch. “Tell me what went on.” Just like he asked Felicity told him. She told him everything how she left him at dinner, how he broke up with her, everything.  She left out the part where Ray told her she clearly loved Oliver. “Wow,” he exaggerated the o sound.

 

“Yeah, that was my night for you.” It was more of her day today at this point.

 

“How are you feeling?”  Felicity wasn’t sure how she felt.

 

“Fine I guess.”  She shrugged her shoulders, “I should be feeling upset, angry, lost; but I feel indifferent about it; it felt like I couldn’t care less if Ray left or not.  When we broke up I just let him walk out of the room without saying anything and we both know that’s not what I do when under stress.”  Felicity could swear it looked like Oliver smiled when she said she didn’t care if Ray left but it was probably just the lack of sleep she had.

 

“I’m sorry about you and Ray but one thing I’ve learned is that you’re worth sticking around for so Ray’s an idiot for walking out. If you need anything I’ll be working out.”  Oliver stood up and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.

 

The reality of what Ray had said it Felicity. He was right her heart didn’t belong to him.  She would drop everything if Oliver needed her.  Felicity felt like an idiot for pushing Oliver away earlier.  She realized that he was lost without her and she had found herself with him.


	7. Happiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think.

When Oliver returned from his workout he found Felicity lying on the couch.  She looked even more amazing, if that was possible, while she slept.  Oliver had mixed feelings about the news she told him earlier that day.  He felt bad for Felicity because she deserved to be happy.  He hated to see her upset.  There was usually so much happiness that surrounded her but now she seemed filled with sadness.  On the other hand Oliver was happy about the news.  Ray was out of her life now.  That might be selfish to think but Oliver has sacrificed so much for this city shouldn’t he get to be happy every once in a while?

Oliver needed to be happy.  More than anything in the world, he wanted happiness.  The only way that he could be even remotely close to happiness was with Felicity.  She made him smile, she made him laugh, and she made him a hero.  _Felicity is his happiness._   He should’ve fought harder for her when she pushed him away, but he didn’t.  He let her go and that was the worst decision he has ever made.  Felicity wasn’t the type of girl you let go.  She’s the girl you fight for, you give everything you have for her and even then you still don’t deserve her.

Felicity was too good for Oliver.  He didn’t deserve her at all but he loved her.  He would always love her; he would never stop loving her.  Not because she was perfect.  She had her flaws, it was those flaws that he loved, her excessive babbling, the things she blurted out at the wrong time.  They always made him smile.  

Sitting on the couch looking at the woman he loved sleep a thought donned on Oliver.  How did he get so lucky to have this remarkable woman in his life?  She shouldn’t be in his life.  You could trace it back all the way to seven years ago when Oliver made the decision to go on the Queen’s Gambit.  He shouldn’t have gone in the first place.  He should’ve stayed in Starling City and help Laurel search for apartments.  Of course he couldn’t do that.  He had to avoid responsibilities and cheat on Laurel with her sister.

In a way Oliver was lucky to get on the Gambit that day.  He was also in an odd way lucky to have the Gambit sink.  Yes it caused him pain and torture but without that pain and torture he never would’ve been able to meet Felicity Smoak.  If he had never been stranded on Lian Yu with his father’s list he never would’ve encountered Floyd Lawton.  That brings Oliver to the third time he was oh so lucky.  If Lawton hadn’t have just happened to leave the laptop at the motel Oliver would’ve never needed Felicity’s help to recover information.

Oliver is where he is now because of a stupid decision to get on a boat he never should’ve gotten on.  He has never been so grateful for that decision.  He’s a better man now because of that decision.  Felicity is and will be the best thing that has ever happened to Oliver. 

He matched the pace of his breath with hers.  He didn’t know why he did that.  It seemed calming to him.  Slowly he moved closer to where Felicity’s head rested.  Carefully Oliver lifted her head to rest on his lap.  To his surprise Felicity didn’t wake up. 

Oliver found himself wrapping one arm around her back tracing circle patterns with his index finger.  With the other hand he was running his fingers through her disheveled hair.  For a moment he closed his eyes.  The room was filled with complete silence.  All he could here was an occasional exhale of a breath.  Oliver couldn’t tell where his body ended and she began. 

That moment felt perfect to him.  After everything him and Felicity had been through, the yelling, the crying, the laughing, Oliver still felt something new each time he was with Felicity, even while she was asleep on a couch laying in his lap.

Oliver didn’t deserve Felicity; she was too good for him.  Everywhere Oliver went pain and death seemed to follow him.  Too many people he has cared about have died because of what _he has done_.  Evil things have followed him from some of the furthest corners of the world but somewhere he went right.  He ended up with this happiness that seemed to stick by his side.  Felicity has seen what Oliver has done.  She has seen him kill people.  She has seen him when he was irredeemable.  Somehow she has stuck by his side.

That’s why Oliver loves Felicity.  She knows what he’s been through, what he’s done and still she sees him not as a killer, or a playboy billionaire.  She sees him as Oliver Queen.  A man who is trying to the best for people he cares about. 

Suddenly Felicity started to awaken.  “Hey there.”  Felicity was reaching around for her glasses.  Her hands were shaking as she put them on.

“Oliver?”  Felicity looked puzzled about why her head was in Oliver’s lap.

“You looked like you needed a better pillow than your arm.  I’m sorry I should’ve asked.”  Oliver was about to stand up and leave when Felicity grabbed his hand.  

“Please stay,” Felicity eagerly looked at Oliver.  Without hesitation he stayed seated.  He expected Felicity to let go of the grip she had on his hand but she didn’t let go.  

Oliver felt her tiny fingers run his knuckles.  He never thought that feeling would be calming but in that moment Oliver felt like the moment was perfect.  It seemed as if Felicity had given him everything he could ever want. 

“I’m sorry, for pushing you away after our date.  I over reacted.  I didn’t realize how much I hurt you by doing it.  I pushed you away when all you were doing was trying to protect me.  I shouldn’t of done that.  And then when you told me how much you needed me in your life I should’ve realized how much I care about you and how much I need you in my life.”  Oliver was clinging to every word that she was saying, “ _I love you_ Oliver.  I love you more than anything.  We’ve been dancing around it for a while and I’m done.”  A smile emerged on Oliver’s face.

He bent his head down as she lifted hers up.  The kiss was more than he ever imagined.  Oliver was wrong.  Earlier wasn’t the perfect moment, this was and it was more than he could ever ask for.  “I love you too.”


	8. Finding Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally finds out what's going on between their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. I've had a very hectic schedule and barely have any time for writing. I hope you like it, let me know what you think.

Digg noticed something different in the way that Oliver and Felicity were acting around each other.  A few days ago it seemed as if Felicity was about to rip Oliver’s throat out.  Now it seemed if things were more than all right between them. 

 

He decided to see if Roy had noticed any change in their friends relationship, “Roy, have you noticed anything going on between these two lately?”

 

Roy shrugged, “I guess.  Now that you mention it Oliver hasn’t been yelling at me as much during training.  He’s also allowed me to get a few shots in on him.  It seems as if he’s distracted.”  Digg’s suspicions were confirmed. 

 

Over the past week he has noticed the quick glances at one another, the distracted stares into space, and the timely bathroom brakes. Something was going on between Felicity and Oliver.  “Roy I think they’re together and trying to keep it from us.”

 

“What?  You think Felicity and Oliver.  He wouldn’t have the balls to go up to her and actually tell her how he feels. I mean this is Oliver and Felicity we’re talking about.  The same people who have been gawking over each other since day one.”  Digg and Roy had been waiting for this day to come. Over the past year the sexual tension between the two had become evident in the foundry.  Right now Digg wasn’t quite sure if it was the normal amount of sexual tension or if something extra was added to the equation.

 

The next day was when Digg finally found out what was going on between his two best.  When he entered the foundry he heard Roy’s voice first, “What was that? Guys how could you do something like that?  With other’s nearby.” His voice was loud and Roy sounded upset with something that went on while Digg was gone.

 

Digg walked down the steps to see Roy standing in front of an ashamed Oliver and Felicity.  “What’s going on down here?”  Six eyes whipped up to where he was standing.

 

“These two were doing it down here when I came in.” Felicity’s face turned bright red and Oliver gave a sheepish smile.

 

It all finally made sense.  Oliver and Felicity.  Digg wasn’t wrong there was something new going on between the two. Even though the evidence was standing right before him Digg couldn’t believe that Oliver and Felicity. It makes sense, he had been watching them for two years but it still shocked him.

 

“John I’m sorry we should’ve told you first about us.” Felicity was trying to spit out an explanation and apology at the same time.  During this Oliver stayed silent and kept his eyes on the ground.

 

“Digg will you please tell them never to do that again! I can’t get the image of them doing whatever the hell they just did out of my mind.  Besides isn’t there some type work code about this.” Roy’s voice was filled with disgust.

 

“Sorry man but I have a feeling that you will be seeing a lot of them around here.”  Digg shook his head, “Oliver,” Oliver’s eyes finally looked up from the ground, “just try to keep it in your pants.”


	9. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been over a month. School has been busy and the premiere threw me off. I also wasn't sure how to finish this. I wanted to give it justice and it took me a while to find the correct ending but I'm happy with it and I hope you are too. Let me know what you think!

“What do we do now?”  Felicity asked Oliver.

 

“We enjoy it.  Our friends know so why try to be stealthy any more. It’s out in the world so lets flaunt it. I’ve been waiting two years Felicity Smoak, I’m going to make sure the world knows how much I love you.” Oliver had a special way of making Felicity feel like she was the most important thing in the world.

 

“I didn’t think we would ever end up here.” This year had been Felicity’s journey. She discovered who she was this year. She had experienced so many things that she never would’ve expected.  “To tell you the truth when I first met you I thought you were a conceded ass that hadn’t worked for anything.”  Oliver chuckled at her words.  Felicity playfully hit him.  “Come on this was before I knew who you are.  I’m glad you came to me with that laptop.”

 

Felicity and Oliver were snuggled up on the couch in the foundry.  It was late and slowly Felicity’s eyes were closing as her head rested on Oliver’s shoulder. For years she didn’t now what she was missing if she had Oliver as a boyfriend.  “I am too.  At first I didn’t want to ask you for help.  I was scared because for the past five years I had been doing everything by myself, I didn’t need anyone for help.  But I needed you, I was lost without you.”  Felicity could hear that sleep was slowly conquering Oliver.  “Earlier when you were with Ray I was an ass. I let my emotions get the best of me and overreacted.” 

 

Felicity sat up and looked at Oliver, he stared back at her.  “Why do you always blame yourself Oliver?  You can’t control everything, people have emotions and sometimes they act like asses and sometimes they kill people.  But either way we end up in the same scenario, you and me sitting here, _together_.” Getting to know Oliver Queen was the best thing about dating him.  There were many different sides to the man sitting next to Felicity. There was the CEO Oliver Queen, the Arrow, the big brother, the playboy, the broken man, the killer, the hero, and the sweetheart.

 

The only problem is that Oliver doesn’t know how good of a person he is.  He deserved a good life, a life that included someone else.  Yes Felicity knew their relationship was far from being a family. Things would not be easy. Oliver would doubt himself. He would doubt their relationship. But Felicity would be there to reassure him.  He is a good person. He deserves more than being a man in a mask.

 

Felicity listened to Oliver’s heartbeat. It was strong and steady. As her palm rested on his chest she began to drift off.  This was jus the beginning there was plenty more to come and Felicity could wait to share all of those moments with the man she loved.  Before they drifted off together Oliver said one last thing not knowing if Felicity could hear him, “I love you and I always will.”  A soft kiss brushed across Felicity’s temple.

 

“I’ll always be here for you.” Felicity’s response was simple but it was all Oliver needed to hear.  Life was perfect.  After all this time they had finally found each other, that’s all they would ever need.


End file.
